1. Field of the Invention
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a home network, and more particularly, to notifying a device of a home network of an event when the event occurs with respect to a service that is provided to the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As various home electronic devices have an enhanced networking function, a home network needs various types of devices. Thus, users can use various services provided by another device in the home network or an external service provider of the home network. There is a need of notifying all of home network devices (hereinafter referred to as “devices”) of an event that occurs with respect to a single service.
Since the home network is a user's area, a user prefers to be informed of all events that occur with respect to a service used by the user within the home network, irrespective of a type of a device currently occupied by the user. In more detail, the user may be notified, in real-time, of an event that occurs with regard to another device that is not occupied by the user.
An example of a home network specification adopting such framework is the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)-2014. The CEA-2014 publishes technologies relating to the use of a service provided by another device of a home network or a server over the Internet through a remote user interface in a home electronic device, such as a digital television (TV). A more detailed description is disclosed in the CEA-2014 and thus it is not repeated here.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of explaining a related art method of notifying an event in a home network. The home network is a CEA-2014 based network and the method is excerpted from the CEA-2014 specification.
In operation 0, a remote user interface client (RUIC) forms an RUI session with a remote user interface server (RUIS). That is, the RUIC displays a UI page of the RUIS in the format of an extensible hypertext markup language (XHTML). A user uses a service of the RUIS through the UI page.
In operation 1, an event occurs in a service of another RUIS and is notified of the RUIC. The RUIS in which the event occurs is a 3rd party that does not form the RUIS session with the RUIC.
In operation 2, a 3rd party event handler of the RUIC invokes an XHTML browser.
In operations 3 and 4, the XHTML browser browses the XHTML page including an event from the 3rd party through an HTTP GET instruction. For reference, a uniform resource locator (URL) of the XHTML page including the event is contained in an event notification page that the 3rd party transmits to the RUIC in operation 1.
As described above, since all home network devices in the home network adopting a 3rd party event notification framework are notified of an event, the user can be informed of the occurrence of all events through any home network device. However, when a user authentication or a device authentication is necessary, such a feature can be disadvantageous. A specific example is shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a problem of the related art method. Referring to FIG. 2, devices of a home network 210 use an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) based service of an IMS network 220 through an IMS gateway 211 that functions as an RUIS. The IMS network 220, which is a network under the specification suggested by a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), provides a variety of packet based services, such as an instant messenger, a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), a conference call, etc. A session for the IMS based service is managed by a call session control function (CSCF) server 221. A user authentication is necessary for establishing the session.
A digital TV 212, which functions as an RUIC 1, is in a VoIP incoming notification service of the IMS gateway 211, and even if a personal media player (PMP) 213, which functions as an RUIC 2, is not authorized for the IMS based service, a VoIP incoming occurs. Since only the digital TV 212 is authorized for the VoIP incoming notification service, the digital TV 212 should not share information regarding the VoIP incoming notification service with other devices of the home network 210. However, as described above, when the home network 210 follows a 3rd party event notification, since all events are multi-casted, the PMP 213 is notified of an event of the VoIP incoming.
Also, when a person (e.g., a member of a user's family) uses the PMP 213, other than the user of the digital TV 212, there is a high possibility that the person does not need the event of the VoIP incoming. Rather, an event notification message may interrupt the person who sees a movie through the PMP.
In more detail, the related art method has a problem that an event is notified of devices that do not request a corresponding service when the event relating to a service occurs in a home network where a 3rd party event is notified by means of multicast.